In his message marking World Malaria Day 2026, Dr. Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, emphasized the urgent need for concerted efforts to end malaria, calling on nations to act now to achieve the goal of a malaria-free future.
This year’s theme, “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must,” carries both a message of hope and a call to action. Dr. Janabi highlighted that, while malaria continues to cause widespread harm across Africa, advancements in knowledge, political commitment, and tools to fight the disease now make elimination an achievable goal.
“Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people every year, with most deaths among young African children,” Dr. Janabi said. “Yet, today, we can confidently say that we have the necessary tools and commitment to significantly reduce malaria illness and death, eventually eradicating it as a public health threat.”
He pointed out that the African region still carries the world’s heaviest malaria burden, with nearly 600,000 lives lost to the disease in 2024 alone. “Three-quarters of those deaths were children under the age of five,” he noted, stressing that these preventable deaths underscore the need for urgent action.
Dr. Janabi also spoke of the momentum building in the fight against malaria. Over the past year, more than ten African countries have increased domestic funding for malaria programs. Additionally, 25 countries are now rolling out malaria vaccines that protect 10 million children annually. He also highlighted the introduction of next-generation mosquito nets that are designed to combat insecticide resistance and the growing use of digital technologies to predict, detect, and respond to outbreaks.
Despite these achievements, Dr. Janabi warned that progress remains fragile. “Malaria is still a major threat. Funding gaps continue to slow the response, and challenges such as insecticide resistance, drug resistance, and climate change are complicating efforts to eliminate the disease,” he said.
The WHO Regional Director called for a sustained, collective effort to close these gaps, with a focus on five key priorities: countries must continue to lead the malaria response with strong national ownership, strategic intelligence must guide action, innovation must be accelerated and scaled equitably, primary health care must remain at the center of the malaria response, and a whole-of-society approach is necessary to address environmental, social, and economic factors shaping malaria transmission.
Dr. Janabi concluded by urging governments, civil society, researchers, and communities to seize the opportunity to end malaria in this generation, calling it “a historic chance to protect the next generation of African children from the scourge of malaria.”
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Dr. Janabi stressed that malaria elimination is within reach, but warned that a lack of investment and weak programs could lead to a resurgence of the disease. “If funding declines and programs weaken, malaria will return quickly, reversing the gains made and costing lives,” he said.
To ensure a malaria-free future, Dr. Janabi called for a sustained, urgent response to the disease, urging all stakeholders to “act together” to achieve a malaria-free Africa.
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